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Rural Frazee fire ruled as arson, under investigation

A fire that burned up a trailer house on the 19000 block of 400th Avenue in rural Frazee Saturday evening has been ruled as an arson, according to the homeowner, Denise Wilson.

The incident is still under investigation, but Wilson says the fire marshall "found three hot spots," or origin spots, in the kitchen that raised suspicion.

No one has been charged for the crime, and Wilson preferred not to comment on who she thought the culprit may be.

"I'm not really sure," she said, in reference to who may have started her home on fire, though she says someone is making her feel unsafe, so she has taken a restraining order out on that person to protect herself.

Wilson was the only person living at the residence and was not home when the fire started. She says her father, who happens to live next door, drove by and saw the smoke, prompting the 911 call. However, by that time, the fire had already eaten up most of the inside of the trailer.

"The fire was pretty contained to the inside of the trailer," said Frazee Fire Chief Albert Doll. "It didn't get enough oxygen, so it wasn't venting. It could have been a lot worse."

While the structure is still standing and has little damage to the exterior, it's almost certainly a total loss. Wilson says she will be meeting with her insurance adjuster tomorrow to hear the extent of what the fire did to her residence of the last 25 years.

"My kids were kind of devastated, too, 'cause that's where they grew up," said Wilson.

The Frazee Fire Department and fire marshall were on the scene for nearly seven hours fighting flames then investigating. They were assisted by the Detroit Lakes Fire Department, the Wolf Lake Fire Department, the Becker County Sheriff's Office, Frazee Rescue, and St. Mary's EMS.